Geopolitics and activism in children's and young adult literature

Abstract

This volume explores how literature for young readers shapes and is informed by the geopolitical realities of our world. Bringing together perspectives from across the globe, the volume shows how children’s and YA texts foster young people’s agency by engaging with national identity, conflict, ecological crises, decolonial struggles, and social justice movements. Through case studies spanning Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Palestine, Ukraine and beyond, the contributors reveal how books for young readers become sites of resistance, empowerment, and political imagination. The book also reflects on teaching and research practices that challenge epistemic inequalities. This collection offers a vital invitation to rethink young people’s literature as a dynamic force in negotiating and transforming geopolitical contexts.